"Petition" by Delilah Waan

In the Dominion of Aleznuaweite, anyone can rise to the greatest heights—if they are willing to pay the price.

Failure is a luxury Rahelu can’t afford. Her family sold everything, left their ancestral home, and became destitute foreigners for the sake of her resonance skills. Now she can manipulate emotional echoes to discern truth from lies, conjure the past, and even foretell the future.

But an act of petty revenge by her rival destroys her chance at joining one of the great Houses. Desperate to prove her family’s sacrifices were not in vain, Rahelu calls upon the most dangerous magic of all—altering fortune.

A slight twist of fate is enough to restore her way forward…with deadly consequences she never bargained for. The Houses make a pawn of her in their bitter struggle for control of the Dominion. A shadowy cult grows ever closer to completing an ancient ritual.

And Rahelu discovers that fulfilling her oath to her family might come at the cost of her mother’s life.

Petition is available from a variety of online purveyors of indie books.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Delilah Waan is a literal bookworm who alphabetically devours her way through the shelves at her local library.

Her preferred diet is fantasy epics—full of complex intrigue, morally ambiguous characters and tragic ends—though she does enjoy the occasional quippy, fast-paced action adventure. (Sappy romances, however, give her indigestion.)

When she’s not binge-reading the next doorstopper on her TBR or engaging in frantic theory crafting in between Brandon Sanderson and Will Wight book releases, she likes to spit bars in her best Angelica Schuyler impression and walk her cat. 

"Embers Rising" by Sterling Carmichael

They expected their heist to yield coin, not conspiracies. What the former mercenaries find is a deadly plot that could destroy their country.

The nation of Arian may have recently shed its monarchy for a more democratic government, but reform hasn’t changed the rules of survival on the streets. Currency is king, and almost everyone is for sale . . . at the right price.

Ex-warrior and sell-sword Kaimana knows this well. When he hears his corrupt old employer is on his deathbed, Kaimana sees a chance to pay off his gambling debts and recruits a friend to help him unburden his former employer of a few valuables. Laurenze, a half-elven expert thief who worked with the rest of their defunct mercenary group, agrees to come out of retirement for one last job.

Unfortunately, their plan goes sideways when they discover the old man used them to consolidate the country’s riches into one person’s coffers: Twylo, a ruthless politician running in the next election who will set reforms back by decades—or worse—if he ever gains enough power.

Kaimana and Laurenze alert the remaining members of their group, who scattered after a disastrous mission drove them apart almost a decade ago. Twylo may have the upper hand, but he has no clue who he’s double-crossed . . . and they’re going to make sure it’s the worst mistake of his life.

"Embers Rising" is the first of a series. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sterling Carmichael was born and raised in Edmonton, Canada. After traveling he eventually found his way to Edinburgh, where he lived and worked for a year before heading home again. After returning to Canada he entered the rat race and while he has enjoyed a fruitful career, he knew that it was something that was just a means to an end. It was writing that had always captivated him and the urge to become an author was too strong to ignore.

Today in his free time Sterling enjoys sampling craft beers, reading works of fantasy fiction, playing various musical instruments poorly, attempting to retain physical fitness, and generally consuming way too much pop culture. He is a huge Star Trek geek and could spend hours arguing with friends about the various series’ merits, episodes, and characters.

"A Song of Sorrow" by C. E. Page

Keep your head down, stay silent, and never use your magic.

These are the rules that Deana has lived by ever since she and her brother lost their parents in a tragic accident. Now Kai is gone as well. He was the only thing keeping her anchored to a world that will never truly accept her. A world that sees her connection to Grandmother Ocean as a curse and her magic as an anomaly that will eventually spin out of her control and destroy everything.

When Bran arrived in the Faridean Isles to study the magical affliction plaguing its young prince, he didn’t expect to be thrown into a race to stop a tyrant from unleashing chaos. But when Prince Samir is kidnapped and Deana—the only person who knows the truth about the mysterious shrouded ones—goes missing, he finds himself swept up by the machinations of a centuries-old curse. A curse that when triggered will drag the Isles and all in them into the fathomless deep.

"A Song of Sorrow" is the first book in a trilogy.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

C. E. Page writes emotionally rich, character driven tales of magic and adventure, primarily in the adult epic fantasy genre. Her stories feature demigods and other divinely assisted misfits who would prefer it if megalomaniac fools would stop trying to destroy the known realms in their search for power.

She lives on the east coast of Australia with her partner Evan, their two children, and one of the world’s quirkiest dogs. An avid reader and gamer, she loves devouring a good story in whatever form it takes.

 

"Of Curses and Contempt" by H. L. Hamilton

There are three truths that Lark knows with absolute certainty;
There is nothing she won't do for those she loves,
Those born without magic will always be seen exclusively as prey,
Never trust the Zodiac Kinship

When her father falls deathly ill, Lark is sent into one of the most dangerous places in Meridian to save his life. She braves old myths and even older magic, but a twist of fate puts a target on her back and the Crowned Assassin of the Zodiac Kinship on her trail.

Nobody escapes him... but it's possible he can't escape her either.

An unlikely alliance is formed, but when the only thing that matters to Lark is ripped away from her in the ultimatte betrayal, she'll stop at nothing to take her revenge. Even if it rips out what's left of her heart.

"Of Curses and Contempt" is a fae court romance that will rip your heart out and make you beg for more.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

H. L. Hamilton is a Canadian fantasy romance author who loves a little darkness in her books. She's lived inside her own head her whole life and takes great joy in sharing that world with you to enjoy too. 

"Tales of the Golden Harem" by Richard Sexsmith

The many harem wives of Emperor Titus Zepherian have different reasons why they want to kill him, but each has their own personal reasons for keeping him alive. The Empire of Zephyria teeters upon the whims of his wives while growing unrest within the empire threatens to bring him down.

Each of the Emperor's golden adorned wives has a different story to tell, but which of them will finally plunge a dagger into his chest and put an end to his evil dynasty?

The Gilded Assassin

Golden Queen of the Ashes

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard Sexsmith is a husband and a father. He writes both fantasy and science fiction.